Always Have Hope
by Roniturtle
Summary: Splinter teaches Leonardo about hope. Thought of this after watching the episodes Fourfold Trap and The Cosmic Ocean. Still don't own them. For those of you who will be celebrating Easter, May the peace of the Lord be with you always.


Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

Harriet Tubman

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Ten year old Leonardo stood up from the couch and stretched and yawned. His favorite TV show had just finished and now it was time to clean the dojo. He walked over to the dojo smiling and thinking of the task at hand. It was early in the evening and with nothing else to do, now was as good as time as any to get that chore out of the way.

He enjoyed working in the dojo, especially by himself. He worked hard dusting and polishing each weapon with pride and precision. He would loving placed them back in their racks before continuing to the next one, telling himself that one day he would master all these weapons just like his Sensei. Doing this particular chore by himself was something he didn't mind at all, when his brothers helped they tended to clean rather fast and was sometimes careless with the weapons and how they placed them in their spots. Sometimes they would even place the weapons in the wrong spot which was very annoying to him, so Leo did not mind doing this chore by himself. Besides, he enjoyed the quiet time and even got to 'try out' the weapons with no one complaining or making a fuss about him using 'their weapon'. Little brothers could be so annoying sometimes, he thought to himself.

He walked over to another rack to clean when he noticed a square box in the corner. It was empty and, he noticed, the right size to put on his head. "I deserve a break." He told himself with a smile. He walked into his room and opened one of his desk drawers where he kept scissors, glue and some paint. He spent twenty minutes making what he considered the perfect space helmet. It wasn't great, but he had worked hard, like he always did and in the end, to him, anyway, it was perfect.

He went back to the dojo and continued to clean, but this time he wore his 'helmet', and as he cleaned, he would take a weapon in hand and brandish it as though he were fighting an imaginary foe.

"Quickly Mister Crankshaw," He said with authority, "Set phasers to stun."

"Yes Captain Ryan!" He said as he saluted.

"Be on the alert Dr. Mindstong." He turned toward another rack and removed another weapon and began to wave it around, cleaning as he pretended to fight along side his hero, Captain Ryan. "The Panicons are attacking!"

He placed the weapon back in it's spot and removed a wooden sword. "It's up to you Cadet Leonardo!" He saluted once again. "Yes Captain Ryan." He held the sword in a fighting stance. "Use your ninja fighting skills to hold off the Panicons while we save the villagers." He swung the sword left and right, kicked and flipped and blocked. "Good job Cadet, you'll get a medal for this." He saluted again. "Thank you Captain!" He smiled wide as he cleaned the sword and placed it back in it's spot.

He took his 'helmet' off and placed it on the floor. He wiped his forehead of the sweat and looked at his work with a smile. He was just about to bend down and place the helmet back on his head when it was suddenly snatched away from its spot.

"Hey!" Leo turned to face his brothers. Raphael stood before him holding the helmet and looking it over with a sarcastic look about his face.

"Whatcha doing Leo?" He asked him.

"Cleaning the dojo." Leo responded. "Please give that back to me Raph." He requested, politely yet with a stern voice.

Raph continued to look it over. "Your cleaning the dojo with this on?" He laughed and looked at Leo with a mocking glare. "Let me guess." He sneered and tapped his chin while still holding onto the helmet. "Capt Ryan telling you what to do again, right?"

"I'm just playing while I'm cleaning." Leo told him with a blush rising in his cheeks. "There's no crime in that, you do it all the time."

"Yeah, but when I play it's with cool stuff, not lame stuff like this, Lam-O-nardo." Raph said as he suddenly tossed the 'helmet' over Leo's head to Donnie. "Catch Don."

Leo tried to catch it but his younger yet taller brother snatched it out of the air before he could. "Not bad Leo." He told him. "But it could do with some more glitter." He threw it to Mikey.

"Give it back guys!" Leo yelled. Mikey caught it and twirled it on one hand like a ball.

"You playing Space Heroes again Leo?" He laughed. "Can I wear your helmet?"

"NO!" Leo yelled as he rushed at his brother. "Mikey just give it to me." He demanded

"Hot potato Raph." Mikey laughed as he threw it to him.

"You're so pathetic Leo." Raph said, catching the helmet. "That show is lame and this helmet is stupid."

"No it's not." Leo yelled as his brothers continued to toss the box back and forth. "Space Heroes is a great show and someday I will be just like Capt Ryan!" He tried to reach the box again as it sailed over him. "Now give me back my helmet."

Raph held the box away from his brother. "How are you ever going to be like Capt Ryan?" He sneered. "Do you really think that one day we're going to be accepted by the humans and you're going to go to space camp or something?" He tossed the box over to Donnie again, who threw it to Mikey who in turn proceeded to throw it back to Raph. "Face the facts Leo, your dream is a waste of time and your nuts if you think that will ever change!"

As Raph reached up to catch it, Leo jumped up to get in front of him. Raph saw him out of the coner of his eye and went to push him. As he did, the two boys grabbed the 'helmet' and came down hard on the floor of the dojo. They also came down with the 'helmet' grasped in both their hands. As they landed, wrestling with the box, they pushed against each other gripping the 'helmet' tightly, thus causing it to tear.

Raph let go of the box and watched as Leo got on his knees and picked up the torn and tattered box with a look of saddness and disbelief. Raph stood up, breathing heavily. "Leo...I..I'm sorry," He said as the others gathered around him. "I..I didn't mean to rip it." He tired to explain.

Leo got up, he said nothing as he picked up the box and began to walk over toward the door to the dojo. He stopped as his Sensei suddenly appeared in front of the door looking at his sons curiously.

"I was going on a supply run." He told them, "Would one of you like to accompany me?"

"I would Sensei." Leo said quickly, his face a mixture of anger and hurt. He was just about to follow his Sensei but stopped and turned back to Raphael. "Maybe you didn't mean to rip my helmet Raph, but did you mean to destroy my dreams?"

Raph went to say something but Leo walked out before he could.

Raph turned to the others who were looking just as sad as he felt. "I didn't mean to rip it." He told them.

"We know Raph," Donnie told him. "You weren't the only one at fault."

"Yeah," MIkey looked down at the floor, feeling horrible for what they had done. "We weren't exactly being nice to Leo." He said. Then his face brightened. "Why don't we get another box and make him a new helmet." He asked.

The others nodded and ran around the lair to find the materials needed.

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Splinter and Leo walked the sewer in silence. Normally, Leo enjoyed going on the supply runs with his father and was usually very talkative during their walks. But now, Leo walked with his head down and his normally happy voice sounded tired and sad.

"What troubles you my son?" Splinter asked him.

"Oh, uh nothing Sensei." Leo responded. They walked little while longer before Leo spoke again. "Sensei?" He looked up at him. "Do you think the humans will ever accept us."

"Anything is possible Leonardo." His Sensei answered. "Does this have something to do with what Raphael said to you?" He asked.

"Well, not really." He said. "I know the chances of me ever going into space is probably never going to happen but..." They stopped walking and Leo looked up at him. "Just to be able to go to the surface and walk around and be apart of that world without people running away from us in terror would be nice."

Splinter smiled softly down at his son and walked him over to a grate. He helped him to stand on a pipe just below the grate so he could see out. "What do you see out there my son?" He asked as Leo stretched his neck to look up at the sky. "The night sky." He answered.

"Anything else?"

"The stars." Leo looked up at him as Splinter assisted him in getting down.

"Those stars are there during the day as well as during the night." He began. "To many of the humans, they are a constant reminder of hope, for they shine bright with a reminder that no matter what happens today, tomorrow will come and with it, the possibility of something new and maybe even something better." He smiled down at Leo as they continued to walk. "As long as you have hope, my son, your dreams may one day come true." He placed a paw on Leo's shoulder. "The humans today may not accept us but one day, that could change and with it, the possibility of you reaching the stars."

Leo smiled up at his father as they continued their walk. It wasn't until they got back to the lair that Leo realized they did not pick up any supplies.

"Do not worry my son." Splinter said with a twinkle in his eye. "We are not that in need of anything right now."

Leo smiled as he realized his father's ploy. As they entered the lair, they were greated by the other three turtles. "Uh Leo." Raph began. "We're sorry for how we treated you in the dojo earlier and we...I... wanted to make it up to you for me ruining your helmet." Leo smiled as Mikey walked up to him with a wrapped up box.

"So we made this for you." Donnie told him.

Smiling, Leo took the box and sat on the floor. He unwrapped it and pulled out another helmet almost like the one he had made for himself. Only this one had plastic glass for a face plate and was painted blue with gold wings on both sides. In small letters on top it read: CAPTAIN LEONARDO.

Leo smiled at his brothers and gave them each a hug. "Thanks guys." He said.

"Can we play astronaut with you?" Mikey asked.

Splinter shook his head slightly as he watched his ten year old sons run off and play. "Kids." He chuckled.

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9 years later.

Leonardo looked out of the view port of the spaceship Ulixes, smiling as he remembered that day so many years ago. The six months would be up soon but he knew, deep down, they would find the pieces of the Heart of Darkness and save the earth as well as their Sensei.

"What ya thinking about fearless?" Raph asked as he walked up to him.

Leo smiled and looked back at his brothers and friends who had been watching him intently. "Just the stars Raph." He answered as he turned back to the window. "Just the stars."

"I made it Sensei." He said to himself as he continued to watch the stars pass by. "I reached the stars, and I'll never stop hoping. I promise, we'll save earth and make it back home...to you."

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Keep your eyes on the stars and hope in your heart. ~Peace~


End file.
